STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Bayern Munich will play Manchester United in the Champions League quarterfinal
- Four-time champions Barcelona face Atletico Madrid in an all-Spanish tie
- Real Madrid drawn against Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last year's semifinal
- Jose Mourinho's Chelsea go up against Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain
Bayern are looking to
become the first team to defend the Champions League title, as Josep
Guardiola's all-conquering squad attempts to reassert its dominance at
home and abroad.
The five-time European
champions are on the verge of wrapping up the German title. Bayern will
wrap up a Bundesliga triumph this weekend if they win and Borussia
Dortmund and Schalke fail to.
But to stand any chance
of retaining their continental title, Bayern must beat the team that
inflicted one of the German club's most painful defeats in the final of
this competition 15 years ago.
United won the Champions
League in 1999 by scoring two goals in injury time to beat Bayern 2-1,
but such halcyon days are in stark contrast to the club's current
predicament.
Manager David Moyes has struggled to get the best out of his team
since replacing Alex Ferguson, the Scottish coach who masterminded
United's win in 1999 and also its Champions League final victory over
Chelsea in 2008 as well guiding the club to 13 English league titles
before retiring in May 2013.
Moyes' team sits seventh
in the Premier League table, quite a fall from grace for a team that
lifted the English championship last season.
Read: Finally David Moyes can smile...
Friday's draw in Switzerland also threw together Spanish title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Barca's modern Champions
League history is formidable, with the Catalans lifting European
football's most prestigious trophy in 2006, 2009 and 2011. Barca won
their first European Cup in 1992.
But in the Spanish league Barca sit in third position, behind second-placed Atletico.
Diego Simeone's team has
caught the eye this season, disrupting the Spanish duopoly of Barca and
Real Madrid through exciting play and the goals of striker Diego Costa.
For Real it's a rerun of last season's semifinal against Borussia Dortmund.
The German team stunned
Real by destroying the nine-time European champions 4-1 in the first
leg. Dortmund prevailed 4-3 on aggregate before losing to Bayern in the
final.
Former Real coach Jose Mourinho will pit his Chelsea team
against Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain. Mourinho is looking to win
the tournament with a third club after triumphs with Porto in 2004 and
Inter in 2010.
PSG will be relying on
the mercurial talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored 10 goals in
seven Champions League appearances this season, while former Chelsea
defender Alex also plays for the Parisian club.
European Champions League quarterfinal draw:
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea
Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich
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